Class, Community Room & Rentals Information

Class, Community Room & Rentals Information

Classes are held in the Community Rooms at Willy East and Willy West and at the Lakeview Public Library next door to Willy North. Our Community Room classrooms are vibrant, mixed-use spaces that are used for classes, meetings, private rentals, and as an art gallery to showcase local artists.

Taking a Class

We have a wide variety of offerings taught by our own Co-op staff and occasionally other area food and nutrition experts. Prices and topics vary to accommodate a wide variety of skill levels, ages, and incomes. See the listing of current classes available.

Class Policies for Participants

Refund Policy

Unless otherwise specified in the description of the event, registration for events that Willy Street Co-op cancels will be refunded in full. Individuals who wish to cancel their registration for events must contact Customer Service with 72 hours notice to receive a full refund. No refunds will be given for cancellations within 72 hours of an event. In order to cover costs incurred, there are absolutely no exceptions to the Refund Policy.

How to Register

Stop by the Customer Service desk to register in person, or you can register over the phone with a credit card by calling Willy East at (608) 251-6776, Willy West at (608) 284-7800, or Willy North at (608) 471-4422.

Teaching a Class

Willy Street Co-op sponsors events related to nutrition, sustainable agriculture, food preparation, and cooperative education. Classes are planned and scheduled on a quarterly timeline and instructors are either hired from internal staff or contracted with externally. If you’re interested in teaching a class, please contact the Education and Outreach Coordinator.

Scheduling a Private Class

Interested in scheduling a private class for a birthday party, team building activity, or bridal shower? Willy Street Co-op’s class instructors are available to teach groups of 5 to 15 people. The cost for a private class is $120 flat fee plus $10 per person for ingredients.

Please fill out the Private Class Request form, and our Education and Outreach Coordinator will respond with more information. Please submit your request at least four weeks in advance.

Instructor Spotlight

Ben Becker, Executive Assistant

My goal is to have class participants learn one new strategy that they can use in the future. A take away from class for everyone including myself can also be about a surprising technique or piece of information someone else in the class shares. In those moments we all are able to enjoy learning a new skill or sharing an idea. The people in the class that attend bring a lot to the entire experience. When you bring people together to talk about their daily meal habits it becomes a way to foster community goodwill. In my class “Healthy Eating on a Budget”, I like to educate people about seasonality and how to find and prepare fresh foods year round. If you want fresh tomatoes in December, people need to realize that comes with limitations. When you make food into a commodity you don’t think about the local and seasonal relationship component. This will be become increasingly important as we watch situations like the drought in California. Learning to eat seasonally will become more important for making fiscally/financially important choices.

Another takeaway from class would be strategies for people to use in preparing a meal out of what they already have in their pantry and garden. Personally, I like to share harvest from other people’s gardens because they may grow different items than I do and you might have to be creative in thinking about how to prepare it or create a meal out it. A question I like to ask participants in class is “what would you change if you prepared this at home?” This allows people to bring forth their own preferences and make it into their own. When I’m working with kids and teaching them about gardening I like to dispel the misconception that food comes from the grocery store. If you are a kid growing up in a food desert your relationship with a food item could be buying a bag of potato chips and not knowing where they come from or how they are made. Watching kids grasp new information about what they eat is very satisfying.

Paul Tseng, Deli Cook

Cooking and sharing what I have learned is my passion. Teaching a cooking class gives me a chance to share my knowledge about the differences and uniquenesses of foods that people overlook. I want to show people how to be respectful, creative and economical about food. To feel delighted when they learn an easy cooking technique using just a couple of simple fresh ingredients. The food is the real star, we are just the facilitators.

I want people to leave excited about food and cooking. It’s important to me, being a part of their food journey, and I feel grateful that they spend time with me.

Cooking from scratch should not be a chore, it should be satisfying. People should make it fun, not boring. Make it into a family memory or story or bring back a family tradition. It doesn’t have to be fancy or cost a lot. I feel lucky to have a little stage to share my love of cooking with people and I enjoy seeing their confidence and knowledge grow. People keep coming back and that makes me want to keep giving back. I wish I had more time to do this.

Katy Wallace, ND CNHP RYT

Willy Street Co-op's Exclusive Nutrition Consultant

Katy Wallace, ND CNHP RYT is a Naturopathic Doctor and Certified Natural Health Professional specializing in helping people resolve their health problems by eating better. Our Co-op offers free lecture and individual consultation opportunities in-store to learn how to take full advantage of the variety of natural nourishing foods that the Co-op offers. See our events page for current offerings.

Community Room & Private Events

Request a Tour or Outreach Experience

Whether you’d like to come to us or have us come to you, please fill out Tour or Outreach form and our Education and Outreach Coordinator will be in contact with more information. Please submit your request at least four weeks in advance.

Renting the Community Room

The Community Rooms at each store are available for rent by Co-op Owners and organizations. Reservations must be made at least three weeks in advance of the event with the Owner Resources Coordinator at the store where the individual or organization plans to rent space.

Art Gallery

Willy Street Co-op supports providing opportunities for the Artists to display their work in the Community Rooms free of charge. Artwork must be nondiscriminatory and suitable for all ages. Artists may be Owners or the Co-op staff, or come from nonprofits, schools, and other cooperatives and collectives. Proposals for use of the Gallery should be submitted two months in advance of exhibit opening and will be reviewed and approved upon a first come first-served basis. Exhibits will last for eight (8) weeks. Due to the mixed use of the room, art pieces that do not mount flat to the wall or are three dimensional in nature are not recommended. All art will be approved on a case-by-case basis.